Chapter 3: [I] Realizations
"The people of that village are not NPCs at all," Tabimikohuro concluded after his detailed and long explanation of what he had gathered and experienced in his mission.
Including Jin, everyone was quiet and not a single one of them was muttering a word. Noticing the silence, Tabimikohuro decided to add a few more of what he had investigated, just to break the silence that kills the atmosphere.
"Just so you know, I formed complex relationships in that village. I pretended to be a lost person, but they have accepted and treated me well. I was even offered marriage in one of their houses." He said as if he was bragging. But no one really cared; they are all too serious to consider his nonsensical jokes.
"Well, with that... we know what's going on..." Jin slips through. "So, we're going to plan what we're going to do from here on out."
"Are you saying that we should give up on going back?"
"Yes." Obviously downhearted, Jin replied.
The truth is, he was able to figure out that they were in a different world since the first few days they arrived here; even before Chinigami had privately told him about the idea. After all, there was no way that his senses would work in a game. Jin knows that the others have also figured it out on their own, but he's pretty sure that no one wanted to sound stupid and say it out loud.
He wanted to share his guess since the day he became certain, but he needed more than his own set of proof to convince the others. Hence, he sent Tabimikohuro out to gather more information, not just regarding inside their guild, but also of the outside. And just as he intended, they have finally settled on one truth when he provided his part of the story.
That's right... they were not in the game anymore...
"Hmph! Somehow, I felt it would turn out this way." The talkative complainant Badger said. He was the only avatar there who has the guts to say what was on his mind.
"It doesn't matter. We already agreed that there is no one to blame here but ourselves, so this is the last time I'll complain. Jin, I'll go back to my premises. Call me if you need me, if not, don't bother." He said as he left the throne room.
"His state, huh? I'm sure he has a lot of toys to play with..." Jin breaks a joke, insinuating the things he would do on his property.
"Now that I think about it, everyone else here has their own creations. I went to see mine a few days back... they too sounded real." With his own mutterings, the other guild members turn a look at him with confusion.
"Anyways, let's not talk about that now. Since we don't have a proper way of handling the current situation, I recommend that you all stay put for now. Of course, you can check the villages outside, given you disguise yourselves. But avoid large cities... Tabimikohoru has said it earlier, they might be hostile." Jin explains in a casual tone, the tense atmosphere from earlier suddenly gone. It calms the others somehow.
Have they accepted what had happened? It doesn't seem like, but at least they seem to have lost their interest in blaming each other.
Everyone looks at Jin, waiting for him to say anything else. But he didn't, so in turn, they're the ones to speak.
"How about you, Jin? What are you going to do?" Someone from the group asks.
"I'll go to my state, then maybe I'll go see what's outside. There's something I'm curious about."
"Really? Then, do you mind if I come with you?" Enthusiastically, Kira asks him.
"I don't mind. Umu... if there's everyone else who's interested, raise your hands!" Jin scans the room as he asks in a loud voice.
After Kira, only one came up, it was from another female, the Dryad Queen, Evelyn Scatterseed.
"Then, anyone else?"
"Sorry, Jin... I'll just take time for my self this time... It's hard to process everything that happened."
"Yeah... I will go get used to this first before I go outside."
"As for us, we'll go check our state. We made too much NPCs, so we're going to check on them." Everyone had their own reasons for not coming, which Jin understood clearly and did not mind.
"We'll hold another meeting when something comes up. Make sure to come" After he said that, they all leave the throne room one after another, leaving only Jin, Kira, and Evelyn.
"Are we going now?" Evelyn asks, to which Jin shook his head.
"Let's also take our time. I think I need some rest."
"U-huh... With all that happened, I'm sure you will need it. Then, I will take my rest too. Let's meet when you're ready." With a smile, Evelyn too waved her goodbyes.
"How about you, Kira?"
"I'll go with you."
"Where?" Confused, the question accidentally escaped Jin's mouth.
"Your state! Where else!?" She pouted with her angry tone. She had no expression on her masked face, but her voice tells all the emotions she had.
"Y-You have your own state! Go there!"
"You know about that place already! It's a mess! I'm not like any of you! I didn't know how to decorate my place!"
As Jin heard her complaint, he was reminded of the place she was talking about. Yes, the Devil's Lair. It wasn't called like that because of Kira's character race, but because of how miserable and scary it was. Among all of their members, Kira has the worst sense when it comes to base creation. The fact that her miserable state was not only a talk on their own guild but on their entire server was still something that shocks Jin to this day.
"Please...?" Kira continues to plead. It did not take long before Jin gave up and agreed to her request.
"Fine... just avoid being rude with my servants around... they're different from what they were before... they..." Jin scratches his non-existent face before resuming, "They go way out of hand on serving me, and they're way too over the top."
"What do you mean?"
"You'll see soon."
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